The 48 Laws of Power

An incredibly creative approach for Robert Greene in his book The 48 Laws of Power.  Greene presents the intricacies of how one can best gain power from others, with 48 different ways to approach it.  The model of presentation for each law is as follows: listing of the law; motes related to the judgment for the law; transgression(s) of the law; observance of the law; the keys to power regarding the law; and what the reversal of the law would look like.  What makes the explanation so good?  Greene draws from three thousand years of examples from leaders from every aspect of society, though mainly those rulers from the thrones (or other elected officials).  His favorites to draw from include: Alexander the Great, Machiavelli, Mao Tse-tung, Talleyrand, Napoleon, Henry Kissinger, PT Barnum, Joseph Duveen (art collector), Muhammed Ali, Abraham Lincoln, Louis XIV, Sen no Rikyu, and many more.  History enthusiasts will love the stories of the various leaders and how they were able to maneuver for success in their plight to the top.  So what were some of my favorite “Laws” to gain power?  Never outshine the Master, Always Say Less Than Necessary, Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor, Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky.  Greene’s premise is that we all want power, so if you don’t believe in that as a guiding principle for your success in whatever role you play in your profession, you probably won’t enjoy the book.  But if you take it for a history lesson, and what to look to avoid in a leader, enjoy.  Again, I thought Greene does an outstanding job of drawing from the various leaders and how they got there, stayed there, or avoided getting their head cut off.  I will say it is a very long read so you could just read the chapters that interest you and call it finished, though I did read each chapter.  Worth reading from my perspective.